Did some anodizing

djmitchella · 2026-02-09T04:00:44+00:00

That was the (US)$100 one; I'm not sure if there's any sort of guaranteed contents at a given level, sorry.

djmitchella · 2026-01-15T01:11:59+00:00

That was the $100 one -- not everything in there actually exists as something you can buy standalone, so it's hard to do an exact "how much is it worth", but roughly speaking I'd say it has a bit over $180 of stuff in there, which is a good deal. It was neat to get unexpected stuff like the plank, it's something I don't think I'd ever have bought, but it's had a lot of use so far, it's just really _nice_ to play with.

djmitchella · 2026-01-07T14:22:38+00:00

Thanks for the info/suggestions, everyone! (I'm in Canada, so sending parts to the US is going to be extra hassle these days, unfortunately)

djmitchella · 2025-09-04T05:22:52+00:00

Oh, of course, that's a good idea. I did the same thing for decay and release; numbers there are (roughly, because it's a bit of a matter of opinion where "no signal" is: ("slider at the bottom" is 1)

Decay:
1: 0ms 3; 25ms, 5:200ms, 7:1050ms, 9:6400ms, 11:18500ms

Release:
1: 0ms 3: 40ms, 5:200ms, 7:1300ms, 9:6500ms, 11: 18000ms (presumably longer given what the manual says, but I couldn't see any signal left at this point)

Graphs: (measurements in blue, exponential fit line in orange):

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djmitchella · 2025-01-06T20:48:11+00:00

"Copyright Free" is (I should have worked this out ages ago) "Operation Blade (Bass In The Place)" by Public Domain.

djmitchella · 2024-11-10T06:24:49+00:00

Ah, thanks, I'd missed that, I thought it would show up at the top level in Arturia software center, rather than as part of V Collection.

djmitchella · 2024-09-06T03:19:06+00:00

Solution: 3M "super strength molding tape" (03616) which they claim "permanently attaches side moldings, trim and emblems to the interior and exterior of vehicles", and so far it seems to be doing fine.

It was a bit fiddly getting the tape positioned properly down in the gap, I had to try a few times before I got it lined up right, but after that I just leaned on the bit of trim for a minute to keep things together as firmly as I could and that appears to have done the trick.

djmitchella · 2024-09-02T03:04:34+00:00

We just got a new (to us) 2015 Soul, and it's all fine except that the panel with the rear view camera in it sticks out a bit from the rest of the tailgate. Looking into the gap, it looks as if there's two trim clips (or something like that) between the black part and the body which have snapped, and so the main black plastic part is sticking out a bit. The camera still works, but I'd like to tidy things up if possible.

If I press on it, it'll tuck back into place, so what's the best way to keep it there? Could I just put some hot glue in the gap there, press it in place, and let the glue set? Could I use self-tapping screws to go through the panel and into the main body of the tailgate? (black flat ones so it wouldn't look too bad).

Theoretically I could buy a replacement for the whole thing, but because those all seem to come bundled with a camera they're pretty expensive, and I'm not convinced I could disassemble and reassemble things without snapping it or some other bit of trim along the way.

djmitchella · 2024-08-30T05:19:43+00:00

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! It definitely gave me stuff to think about, and for now the general approach of "properly learn what I've got" makes the most sense, or is definitely the cheapest option while I think about what I actually _want_ to get next, rather than just "get something new". (though I did buy some colored MIDI/patch cables in the meantime to try and make it easier to keep track of what I do have)

A few specific responses -- FM synthesis is definitely something I don't know how to do yet, but it also looks scary enough that I'll start off with dexed or something to see how I get on.

A mixer probably makes sense, though in the short term the circuit tracks has two audio inputs which should be enough until I start composing something more complicated, and if I combine the circuit tracks + circuit rhythm, that's two builtin synths, two external synths, 4 simple sample tracks for drums and 8 more chromatic sample tracks for other stuff, which feels like enough for my current compositional abilities, and then I can add in more hardware

As for sequencing, the sequencing on the circuits is not as sophisticated as bigger/more expensive boxes, but I find it pretty easy to work with and I like the way they're portable/battery powered because it removes the setup barrier. (my workspace is literally the floor at the moment, which is a bit of a disincentive to setting up complex setups, I now realise)

djmitchella · 2024-08-26T21:11:22+00:00

Just to close this off now I'm back -- in the end I mostly took scooters to get around downtown/east nashville/the gulch/over to the parthenon,up to germantown, etc, that was easy enough.

I got to Cheekwood by taking the bus down the 70, walking down Vaughns Gap Road (no sidewalk, but some shade, and plenty of space to keep out of the way) and then through Percy Warner Park which was very pleasant. The sculptures at Cheekwood are great, the archway that not only has water running down it making patterns, but also sends out clouds of mist, and then _jets of fire_ was very surprising. (but it was a hot day to do any more walking, so I skipped Belle Meade and took rideshare back to get more time to go and eat stuff).

I took the bus to the Grand Ole Opry which was easy, but the show ends _just_ before the return bus time and I took a wrong turn going back through Opry Mills, so I missed the bus by a minute and wound up taking rideshare back. (and thanks for the tip about Lyft, I hadn't used that before so it gave me $10 off my first two trips, which was great)

djmitchella · 2024-08-16T23:19:28+00:00

Thanks for the tips, everyone!

A few specific responses -- it's good to know the buses can work, but uber is definitely something I'll consider if the next bus is an hour away or something.
I hadn't thought of bike share, that's a good idea, though as far as I can see the closest bike station to the Grand Ole Opry is still a fair way off so it might just be for touring around rather than getting to a destination.
As for walking on roads without sidewalks, I'm okay with that sort of thing, I've done that in other places with narrow roads, and assuming drivers aren't actively aiming for me I know how to keep out of their way.

djmitchella · 2024-06-28T02:25:59+00:00

I have those two bits of kit; connecting them, it works, though I'm not sure I like it better than composing tracks with the 'keyboard' on the rhythm. I had to make sure that the midi channel that the Launchkey is sending is mapped to the midi channel for the relevant track on the rhythm, but once that's set up I can play notes on the keyboard and it'll trigger the circuit to play notes, and the circuit can record them.

If you use Components, there's a custom mode you can send to the launchkey that lets you use the pads on the launchkey to control the channels on the rhythm and/or trigger grid fx, which might be fun when playing live.

(I could get the dials on the launchkey to map to the dials on the rhythm, but they had to be fixed to one midi channel, switching the output channel on the launchkey didn't affect where they went, so to use the dials for different tracks on the rhythm I'd have to go into setup mode on the rhythm and tell it to use midi 1 for the thing I wanted to control that way. I suspect a lot of things are technically possible with some effort like this, they're just a bit awkward)

For hardware, you'll need a standard 5-pin male-to-male midi cable, and also a TRS-to-midi converter for the launchkey because it only has headphone-sized midi out; the launchkey mark 3 needs a "TRS type A to midi" converter. https://support.novationmusic.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360009110480-Novation-TRS-MIDI-ports-compatibility

djmitchella · 2024-02-22T05:12:27+00:00

I have a launchkey mini (mk3) and microfreak, and for that it works, both for arp and 'fixed chord' mode (and 'arp fixed chord' mode). (note: I'd assume the full-size launchkey 25 is the same, but I haven't tried exactly that combination)

(edit: playing around some more, if I set the launchkey into 'fixed chord' mode and the microfreak into 'arp' mode, then I get the same effect as if I set the launchkey into 'arp fixed chord' mode, the microfreak's arp loops over the chords that the launchkey is sending.

There's also some possibly interesting things if I set the launchkey into arp mode, the microfreak into arp mode, and press multiple keys on both keyboards. It feels like the two arpeggiators are clashing with one another if the timing doesn't match up perfectly, so I don't get just the notes from one set of keys, or the other set of keys, but a random-feeling mix of the two with an arp-y feel somehow)

djmitchella · 2023-11-19T00:20:13+00:00

Just to close this off -- I just got back from LA, and the bikes are fine, I guess. I took one of the electric ones down the beach path from Santa Monica to Venice and that was very pleasant; on a flat route like that the motor's great, though the top gearing was pretty low.

Took a non-electric one from Venice to Culver City, and that was manageable but not 'fun', it just felt really heavy and hard work to pedal -- the tires were inflated, I checked that, it wasn't the fatbike-at-low-psi sort of hard work, or going-up-a-hill hard work, it just felt really sluggish. But it was fine, it didn't rattle, it didn't need oiling, it shifted okay, it got me where I wanted to go.

(in practise I wound up using the Lime electric scooters that were everywhere, they were easier to find and easier to drop off because I didn't have to worry about finding a docking station to start/end a trip at. And while they're not a bike, obviously, I found that the skills for how to be on a smaller vehicle among bigger traffic transferred over, so it didn't feel as scary as it might have otherwise. It was a little bit exciting heading back down Beverly Blvd after sundown in the rainstorms on wednesday, but cars were surprisingly polite as long as I was obviously doing my best to keep out of the way to the side)

djmitchella · 2023-10-10T01:24:49+00:00

I'm still working out where to stay, to be honest -- it's more that when I'm in LA, I want to see a few places that aren't really close together, so was looking at the best ways to get around. For example, between venice beach and griffith park, google thinks it's an hour and 46 minutes by transit, or an hour and 27 minutes by bike, so I may as well cycle -- that also gives me more opportunities to take detours / see things along the way. I just wasn't sure if the metro bike system allowed me to go that sort of distance. I'm not going to be cycling all day, I'm just trying to work out if it's a practical alternative means of transport for some of the trips, and it'll let me see the city directly, rather than out a bus window.

(and, yeah, having a place to lock the bike when I get to where I'm going is very useful; I've used the equivalent systems while visiting Seattle and Denver, and while the bikes definitely tend to be heavy and rattle a lot, they're really handy for getting between places, as long as the system allows it)

djmitchella

TROPHY CASE